Flock rolling out camera system in Washington ‘soon’
Public meeting planned to discuss license plate readers
Flock license plate reading cameras have been deployed across the City of Washington, with the system set to go live “soon,” according to city Mayor JoJo Burgess.
Washington City Council approved a free, one-year test of the program with the Atlanta-based Flock Safety in June 2026, with the cameras installed at four major intersections along Jefferson Avenue in July.
The city has an option to renew for a paid contract once the pilot program expires in mid 2027.
The company promotes their license plate readers as a high-tech way to “help law enforcement, schools and businesses locate vehicles, understand incidents and collaborate across jurisdictions while maintaining clear privacy safeguards, local control and responsible data use,” according to its website.
The solar-powered cameras are mounted to either traffic light poles or freestanding supports and scan the license plates of passing vehicles, and automatically alert local law enforcement if a plate has been flagged by an all-points bulletin or similar notice.
Burgess emphasized that the LPR system is different from closed circuit television or other more broad-scope surveillance technology.
More than 5,000 law enforcement agencies across the county have deployed Flock LPR systems, according to Flock, including several municipalities in Washington County such as South Strabane Township.
Critics of the company have raised concerns about an alleged lack of transparency in how the technology is deployed, and what measures are in place to ensure that collected data is used ethically.
Burgess said that the LPR system can be a useful tool for the Washington Police Department to locate suspects in serious crimes. He said that a homicide suspect in an incident several years ago was able to flee the scene of the crime in the city, only to be later caught when his vehicle was flagged by a license plate reader in Bridgeville. Burgess said that the LPR system, once operational, will not be used to enforce warrants or “look in the bedrooms” of city residents.
The city will also hold a public meeting to discuss the program once the system is completely operational, where a Flock representative will be on-hand to answer questions from the public, Burgess said. He estimated that this meeting would be held sometime in either late August or early September, depending on when the system is fully activated.
Burgess said he will “100%” attend the meeting to show the public that the city has “nothing to hide,” and to field questions alongside the Flock spokesperson. According to Burgess, the city will factor public feedback and system efficacy in deciding whether to continue with a full contract with Flock once the trial period concludes.